PlantFiles: Ribbon Grass, Reed Canary Grass, Gardener's Garters
Phalaris arundinacea

I've been growing this grass for 20 some years and as I moved to 4 different houses, its moved with me. It is a perennial grass that is hardy from Zone 4-9. Height is 2'-4'.

Others who have listed information on the plant have said it is terribly invasive and its even outlawed in some states! I believe it could be invasive in ideal conditions and in other zones, however, I will give you comments of my experience with it in Zone 5. In Zone 5 it seems to behave.

I've never really had any trouble with it. In fact, I sometimes wish it would be more invasive and fill-in faster. That being said - I do have it planted in my PROBLEM spots, so that must help keep it contained. When all other plants fail for me in a spot, I try the ribbon grass there - I use it as my problem solver plant.

It's never traveled for me more than the clump getting larger or a few springs here or there. Its easy to contain each spring if a few springs wander close by - just dig out what you don't want . It doesn't form those woody tough roots which are impossible to dig up - as some grasses do (at least in zone 5, it doesn't ). It produces seeds, but I've never had it pop up in any area of my yard where it wasn't planted

My experience in Zone 5 in different types of soil and sun:

Clay - Impossible, thick & wet - semi-shade: it grows well and is not invasive.

Moist Loamy soil - shade to semi-shade and under trees in shade garden row: it grows well and is not invasive.

Dry, Hot Sun: grows slowly, but well.

Dry Shade or Semi-Shade - under trees - does not grow well - it will grow, but it is very, very sparse, and a little sickly looking - however, it comes back each year - it just doesn't thicken up, so its not as pretty.

I've never planted it in a moist sunny area as those spots in my yard are short in supply and I use them for other perennials, so I can't address those conditions - but perhaps there - in zone 5 - it could become invasive.

Ribbon Grass gets taller through the summer & stays green & white. In the winter it turns straw colored and wilts down. You can either cut in back in the late fall or leave it be. It is best to transplant it in the spring before it gets too hot. It is considered a cool season grass, which I assume means it grows fastest in the spring. It dies back in the winter and will poke up in the spring through all the dried grass from the season before.

Last year I planted a few springs of it in pots with my annuals and it looked great! I expected it would die over the winter in the pots, but it came back, I was so surprised it would survive above the freeze line.

Due to its invasive qualities it is illegal to sell this plant in the state of Washington.

The Minnesota DNR has Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) listed on it's invasive species list.
"Ecological Threat:

* Reed canary is a major threat to natural wetlands. It out competes most native species.
* It presents a major challenge in wetland mitigation efforts.
* It forms large, single-species stands, with which other species cannot compete.
* If cut during the growing season a second growth spurt occurs in the fall.
* Invasion is associated with disturbances, such as ditch building, stream channeling sedimentation and intentional planting.
* This Eurasian species has been planted throughout the U.S. since the 1800s for forage and erosion control. It is still being planted."

I only rated it a neutral because it is a very lovely tough plant that will do well in a island bed with clumping perennials and small shrubs and trees and also maybe next to a house. Island bed meant that the garden bed is surrounded by lawn or hard landscape features - but it's alway best to reduce the number of cracks or spray weed killer once in a while if it tries to sneak through the cracks of the hard landscape features.(hard landscape features meant brick paths, paved stone paths, concrete, etc). Otherwise, it is not a good plant for most landscape features - it grows too aggressively for most species of plants, choking them out. Also it is hard to weed out other grass species out of the patches.

I still have tiny patches of ribbon grass popping up since I have tried to get rid of the whole thing. That tell you how hard it is to contain this species if you are trying to include it in a mixed bed, formal beds, etc.

I've had this growing for 3 years in a sunny location, but also a fairly dry area of the yard. It's been pretty well behaved. The clumps have increased, but not gotten out of hand.

Phalaris arundinacae is, in this area, one of the most invasive wetland weeds. It is on the State of Washington Noxious Weed list. It becomes a monoculture in partly sunny wetlands, crowding out almost all 'marginals'. Habitiat for wetland wildlife is being adversely impacted throughout the state. In some areas it is possible to drive for 50 miles and see nothing but Phalaris in wetlands.
Seeds last for decades, are carried great distances, and are produced in the hundreds of thousands per hundred square feet.
The variegated forms are less invasive but produce viable seed. They can be quite beautiful in early season growth. Planting these is not justified by the potential destruction of wetland habitat. With global warming Phalaris has the potential to overwhelm habitat elsewhere in the US.

We have this in our garden, have had ever since we moved here, and in thirteen years it has made itself at home without being too aggressive.

We call it ribbongrass, which is what my great-grandmother called it when she gave us starts of it from her garden. I know she had grown it for a very long time, because she talked about growing it on the banks of the Siuslaw river, where she raised her children, close to seventy years ago. She was very proud of her striped grass, and a varieagated holly, and was sad that after they moved, the relative who bought the house destroyed all the varieagated plants because he thought they were diseased.

I've been growing this for about 15 years.
It's definitely a thug if in the sun and well watered.

In partial dry shade it will die out rather quickly.
In partial wet shade it is very manageable.

It can get untidy though in these conditions.
We cut ours down to 8" or so in mid Summer.
It regrows perfectly fine w/ bright new foliage.

Another good thug for it to duke it out w/ is Northern Sea Oats.
About an even match.

So far so good. I've only had this plant in the ground since late last summer/early fall, and it survived. I live on the border of Sunset zones 8 & 14 in California, and I planted it in part sun in a raised bed near a man-made creek. It hasn't spread yet, but I would rather that it did, since it's pretty bare in that area at the moment. When it was still in the pot, I left it in the shallow shore-end of our pond for a few weeks, but it started turning brown, so I pulled it out and watered it myself. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Good pond or bog plant or in a situation where it can be contained. It can be VERY invasive if let loose. Spreads by underground "bulblets"/rhizomes and will crowd out most everything within two seasons in 9b. The underground runners and growth reminds me of a potbound Asparagus Fern or Spider Plant - tough as nails!

Dies back in the winter and rests up for being a thug in the Spring. I pull "all" of it and dig some so that each year I end up with just a reasonable amount around the pond. Moneywort gives it a run for its "money" in the thug department and the two seem to be able to live in harmony together.

Given full sun and loose soil, this plant runs wild. Given adverse conditions it is contained, making it suitable as a vertical accent in shade gardens.